From Bill Huffman's column in todays East Valley Tribune:
PAPAGO NATION
The battle lines have been drawn in the sand between the Arizona Golf Association’s proposal to pump $8.2 million into the renovation of Papago Golf Course and the Save Papago Golf coalition that opposes the AGA and its plans. But the battle for the jewel of Arizona’s municipal golf courses, which sits on the borders of Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe, could end without a shot even being fired.
According to local golf sources, the AGA got the inside track and the eventual nod on the Papago renovation project because no other group that was interested in it did the paperwork — at least correctly! — in the request for proposal process. And the Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department still is standing behind the AGA, although several city officials have become uneasy over the “Papago problem.”
Both sides have some solid points in making their cases, and there is no doubt that Papago is in dire straits and needing a face-lift badly. But after all the pluses are weighed against the minuses, the guess here is the AGA will win out even though it should be very careful what it wishes for in taking on what is sure to be a complicated and highly political project that could easily last five to 10 years.
One thought keeps crossing my mind concerning the AGA and Papago, and it’s a huge consideration in the long run.
Remember what happened at Vistal Golf Club in Phoenix after the Thunderbirds spent $10 million renovating the old Thunderbird Country Club? That’s right, it went bust.
At the same time, one failure doesn’t guarantee another, so maybe this will all turn out for the best.